Category Archives: grace turned outward

How to tell people what God is like

Posted on February 12, 2019 by jwfisch

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” Exodus 34:6,7 How does God describe Himself to us? How does He wish … Continue reading →

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In spite of the cold

Posted on February 7, 2019 by jwfisch

It’s 46 degrees outside right now. Here in southern California, you have to realize, anything under 50 is arctic. We are having a cold, wet winter. Actually, I should say we are having a winter. That’s rare. On my calendar, … Continue reading →

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Why grace is so hard to believe

Posted on January 30, 2019 by jwfisch

Let’s face it: grace is hard to believe. Why is that the case when it’s so easy to get? Well that’s actually one of the reasons right there. We are all taught that to get anything valuable, you have to … Continue reading →

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Character, not conduct

Posted on January 28, 2019 by jwfisch

For far too long, Christianity has been defined by behavior. We love keeping spirituality on the basis of what we do and don’t do, because then we are in control of it. We can demand certain codes of conduct for … Continue reading →

Posted in 12 Steps, grace turned outward | Tagged | 8 Comments

Who owns Christmas?

Posted on January 24, 2019 by jwfisch

I tried to make it — I really did. But Candlemas (February 2) is nine days away and our Christmas tree is beyond dead. (Some of you might remember that Christmas was last month.) For those of you who are … Continue reading →

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Putting Christ back in Christianity

Posted on January 23, 2019 by jwfisch

Bob, our good friend and frequent commentator from Seattle, raised some very excellent questions about the Jesus Movement, circa 1968-72, after yesterday’s Catch. The following two sentences capture the essence of his speculations. “Did we ever concern ourselves with looking … Continue reading →

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The Fairy Godmother in us all

Posted on January 2, 2019 by jwfisch

In case you missed it, over the weekend and the New Year’s holiday, we ran our annual end-of-the-year campaign. It covered the brief span of 4 emails in two days, and since it went by so fast, we decided to … Continue reading →

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The Book for today and tomorrow

Posted on December 18, 2018 by jwfisch

I breezed through Barnes and Noble Booksellers last night, not seeking any book, but seeking a grande non-fat latte at the Starbucks counter inside, and a place to work while Chandler and his girlfriend were roaming the mall and looking … Continue reading →

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You and me, and the bells of Christmas

Posted on December 11, 2018 by jwfisch

Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South,  And with the sound the carols drowned Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!   It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And … Continue reading →

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A kinder, gentler kingdom

Posted on December 10, 2018 by jwfisch

“For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, goodwill to men!” – From the poem “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I read an article yesterday that was both revealing and disturbing. It was about terrorism … Continue reading →

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